Follow the daily interactions of an affable bar manager of pretty cool and not-so-typical watering hole in NYC, in a not-so-typical neighborhood, Murray Hill. There may be some blurbs overheard at the bar, stimulating observations and random thoughts on random things. So be careful, you never know what might end up here....Enjoy and welcome to my world!

6.20.2013

#StanleyCupFinals LIVING UP TO THE HYPE...

It's Thursday and I am still trying to recover from last night's game between the Bruins and Blackhawks. Last night's thrilling 6-5 OT win by the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup has only proved that the this year's Cup is developing into one hell of a series. The bar had a pretty even split of fans from both teams and what was even more remarkable was the large contingent of female hockey fans, which I love!

Overall the turnout for the game was huge and while that in itself was great, it also brought about a bit of sadness for me personally. In the twenty-plus years I've been with Third and Long, I'm proud of what we've done here. We've seen a lot of great things take place over the years, but one of the things I'm most proud of is how we've been able to develop into one of the best hockey bars in the city. It took a lot of work and a lot of time to build our credibility with both the NHL and with hockey fans in general, but the hard work paid off. As a result, we were able to develop great relationships with the NHL and its associates, beat writers and hockey pundits, various teams (especially the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens), and most importantly, the fans.

So as we prepare to close our doors next Wednesday night, there is a huge possibility that we may have a Stanley Cup Game 7 on our last night of existence and how appropriate would that be? If the hockey gods have their say, they wouldn't have it any other way.

As for myself, I don't yet know what the future holds for me, but wherever it takes me, I hope to continue to foster relationships with the individuals and teams I've met thanks to the NHL. It's been an awesome experience.